Friday, August 29, 2014

I got to pick the pie this week from the silky cream pies chapter and I chose Peanut Butter Pie!

I did better with my crust this week. I tested out the new pastry cutter, but had some issues up front with it slipping and throwing flour all over me and the cupboard and floor. I also chose to use butter instead of shortening. I rolled out nicely, but I think I could have done with one less TBL of water because it was a little sticky.
The pie was pretty simple to make, just a lot of stirring over the stove…
Then I added the eggs and stirred some more!
The last step in the filling was mixing in the peanut butter. I chose not to do the chopped nuts since I don’t like nuts in my baked goods. It’s a texture thing.
I poured it into the pie shell
then topped it with meringue.
It got all toasty brown while it baked.
We let it chill over night after first cutting a piece after it cooled only to find it oozing out! So I put the piece back in and hoped for a firmer pie in a day.

The next morning we (I) couldn't wait for dinner...so we had it for breakfast. And it was SOoo GOOOOODDDD!!!! It has just the right amount of sweet and wasn't too rich like some peanut butter pies are. And of course Charlie loved it. I would definitely make this one again!!

Thursday, August 28, 2014

It was a year ago yesterday (shortly after Adam’s birthday dinner) That I had the panic/anxiety/hormonal imbalance attack that sent me into the weirdest time of my life. I am happy to say that a year later I am 100% myself and 100% off my medication. I am also about 20lb heavier, but as I asked Adam, would he rather a skinny depressed wife or one who is “Fat” and happy? He chose the later. (and informed me that I was too skinny; points for Adam!)

I still have little freak outs and get nervous stomach, but I’ve had that my whole life. But I haven’t had a full on attack in a while. But you know what? If I do, I’ll get through it. I’ll be ok. And I know how and wear to get help. May it be a phone call, a walk or a bottle in my medicine cabinet I’m not ashamed or embarrassed to seek it. My family is my number one and if I’m not feeling 100% or even 90% my family will suffer. The main thing to remember is that it will get better and I will feel better.

Right now I’m happy and healthy and enjoying my life with these two wonderful people.

Wednesday, August 27, 2014

Today is Adam’s Birthday! He’s been working a lot of nights lately so it will be nice to go out for a good old steak dinner with him and Charlie tonight. We leave for ILL tomorrow for a family wedding and we haven’t even begun packing, so tonight might be a late one. But we’ll be able to really celebrate him with some quality family time over the weekend.

Here are some pictures from the past week. Charlie is just growing up way too fast!

Monday, August 25, 2014

Yesterday we took Charlie to the new City park that opened up on the river. We had read that it had a kids splash pad with a big bucket that dumped water and a fun playground. So we thought it would be a fun little after nap trip. It was hot yesterday (who am I kidding, it’s hot everyday) But the temp on the car said 97 factor in humidity I guess it felt closer to 110. Anyway the new park had shade trees and pavilions which is an upgrade from our other riverfront park that does not.

When we got to the park we realized it was packed, but that’s expected for the new thing in town. The splash pad is about 30’x15’ so it’s not super big. There is a big bucket in the center and then a handful of water spouts on the perimeter. It was filled with kids running and playing but what really got me were the parents and other “adults” in the splash zone. There were 3 adults, large adults, just sitting down next to one of the fountains blocking a large area where children could play. I’m assuming they had children there, god I hope they did, but I found it infuriating that grown adults where taking up space and fun in a CHILDRENS splash pad.

There were also a bunch of “adult” that would run over to the bucket splash area right before it dumped and act all surprised that they got wet, soaked. Yes I get it, it’s hot out, but must you take away from the kids fun? It was packed and busy and adults did not need to be taking up primary real-estate from the children. Yes, Adam was with Charlie, as were other parents, but they were actively caring for their children. If we have age limits for the playground equipment shouldn’t we do the same for a splash pad? (not that they would have followed it) but in all honesty all it would take would be one of those “adults“ running away (on a wet surface) to avoid the splash only to knock down a toddler or small child onto the hard concrete to ruin the fun for all.

If you are an adult and want to get wet, go to a waterpark. Go to a pool. Find an age appropriate place to get soaked in your clothes. Please don’t do in it our new $7 million park taking away fun from mine and other children who want to enjoy an afternoon in the KIDS splash pad.

Friday, August 22, 2014

Well we’re back to the beginning of the book and if you recall Chapter 1 is fruit pies, but this time it was Adam's choice. He made his decision based upon what was on sale…Plum Pie it was!

This pie only required one crust…on the top. And of course his came out perfect.

It was pretty simple to make, you halved the prunes and mixed it up with some dry ingredients and put it in the pan.

Then he topped it with the crust, fluted the edges and cut out a neat shape.

It smelled really good while it cooked.

Adam was gone most evenings this week so we cut the first piece without him. I was sick so I didn’t have much. But Charlie did, and she liked it! (big surprise)

One thing is that it was really runny and needed to be served in a bowl. But with ice cream it was yummy! Not sure if we’ll add this to our favorites, it was good, but it needs some modifications if we try it again.

Monday, August 18, 2014

For Charlie’s 1st birthday we bought her a subscription to the Highlights “magazine”, Hello!

If you are looking for something to get a little one I think it is the perfect gift. For one thing, it’s the gift that keeps on giving all year long (12 issues). Charlie has really enjoyed them and gets excited now when they come in the mail. She “reads” them and is even starting to understand the hidden picture page. (it’s very age appropriate in the level of difficultness)

I like them because they are not destroyable like a magazine and they are super light, unlike a board book. I can easily grab a couple for long trips or church and I won’t weigh down my purse. The stories and poems are short. The artwork is bright and cheerful. And they even give parents “tips” or variations you can use for each page.

This is probably the best $34 I’ve spent on a “toy” for Charlie. She loves them and we love them…win win.

(I also purchased a similar subscription (Baby Bug) for a friends little girl and they give it rave reviews as well. )

Thursday, August 14, 2014

This week I got to choose from the last chapter in our book: Ice Cream Pies!! I chose to make a grasshopper pie.

IIt looked yummy and easy enough. Little did in know….

The first snafu I ran into was locating Chocolate Wafers. I have a feeling these haven’t been popular since 1978..cause I couldn’t find them anywhere!! Also I needed 2 TBL Crème de Cacao and a 1/4 cup of Crème de Menthe. I was not about to spend $24 at the liquor store to get those.

Finally on day two of searching and trying all different possibilities I ended up buying a chocolate crust, spending $10 on crème de Menthe and realizing I had a giant bottle of Crème de Cacao in my liquor stash.

So I was all set…this should be cake…or pie

First up I had to melt the marshmallows…easy, right? well I used a combination of existing marshmallows and new ones. They took forever to melt! I had to call in reinforcements, Adam, to give them a good stirring.Finally after 20 some minutes they were melted. And basically the consistency of taffy. The longer they cooled the more taffy like they got. I mixed in the liquor and found that the two were not blending well…which resulted in green splatters all over me and the white counters!Being a little more careful, and using a whisk I was able to mix the two together finally.

Next up was whipping the cream. easy.

Then I was told to fold in the marshmallow mix. I knew there would be no way “folding” could happen, so I opted to use the beaters, and it worked pretty good.

I opened my perfect pie crust

And poured in the filling.

Then I had to freeze it overnight.

I have been sick this week, so the thought of ice cream pie sounded good. I took it out and cut myself a slice.

I ate it sneakily in the kitchen since we had decided not to let Charlie have any due to the alcohol. And to be honest…I was underwhelmed and kind of grossed out by it. It didn’t have much flavor and left a oily/greasy feeling on the roof of my house. I informed Adam of my opinion and added: “maybe it’s because I can’t taste very much”.

Later while giving Charlie a bath Adam ate his piece. He informed me that it was the best pie yet that I’ve made and that it tasted fantastic. Just like a grasshopper. So I guess I’ll have to wait until I feel better to try it again…hopefully Adam won’t have eaten it all up by then!!

Next week we go back to fruit pies! Adam said he’s going to see what’s on sale to decide, But I think he’s got his eyes on plums!

Thursday, August 7, 2014

Project Pie continues and it was Adam’s pick this week. Chapter 4 is Refreshing Refrigerator Pies. We had a bunch of black cherries in the fridge so he chose Cherry Burgundy Pie:

Adam christened our new pastry cutter, which he loved, and proclaimed he didn’t like the mat because their 9” mark was too small for our pie pan.

He hand pitted and cut all the cherries. The recipe called for canned black cherries, we used fresh. We weren’t sure if canned ones were cooked at all…we used ours raw. In hind site I think cooking them would have helped.

Mixing the jello..

Melting the Ice Cream

Mix it in to the Jell-O.

I was relaxing so I missed the next step…but here’s his pie shell ready to be filled. It has to cool first.

There are lots of cooling steps in this recipe. But here is the final one.

It cut pretty well the next day.

It’s a really pretty colorful pie. Just missing a dollop of crème..

This wasn’t my favorite pie by a long shot. It wasn’t bad, but I felt it was just lacking flavor. And I didn’t care for the cherries in it. I think if they had been cooked they would have been softer, cause they were kind of tough. Adam thought it was alright. But the real lover of this pie was Charlie! She gobbled it up every night. We even gave her her own (small!) piece. Happy girl!